SadieKate tips: "at the rest stops load up in the food line and then eat while standing in the restroom line" true true, you want to manage your rest stops efficiently. They are fun, but stay longer than 15 minutes and you'll be cold, sluggish.

what works for me:

1) park the bike, leave my helmet and gloves clipped to the bike. Don't handle food with your gloves. Try to remember where I parked ;-)
2) condense water bottles. Fill one with the other and take the empty one with you.
3) get food and fill the sports bottle. Eat and drink in the porta potty line. Leave your water bottle outside, you'll be done with the food.
4) Wash hands, Top off water bottle, Stretch, on the road again.
5) If it's a hot day I will visit the porta potties again. You can't hydrate if there's nowhere for it to go ;-)

"Ride only single file."

can't agree with you enough on that.

"Ride your pace and don't worry about the others."

It's a ride, not a race, stop, take pictures, enjoy the views, ride within yourself and scrub off some speed so you can adjust for errors especially descending.

Stop and thank the crew/volunteers every chance you get. You can't do this without them.

"Before you get to the ride, practice looking over your shoulder for traffic so that you don't swerve."

yep, yep, find a line in the road or trail and practice staying on it while you look right or left.

If someone behind calls, "On your left!", you should move right immediately when possible. Believe it or not, I've seen people on group rides, where they had signed a form saying they were experienced riders, swerve left into the path of the passing rider.

I slightly dissagree with this. I feel it's my responsibiblity to find a line that is safe, as far to the right as is safe to do also being aware of obsticals on the road etc. Having a knee-jerk reaction of moving to the right each call out may put me in harms way. I get passed...a lot so I've learned to be as far to the right as is safe but if you're passing me it is your responsibility to call out and then pass when it is safe for you to do. It's not my responsibility to move to the right, I should already be there. Especialy on descents altering my angle on a turn could be dangerous. So "on your left" does not mean "I move right".

That brings up another point: point out obstacles, learn hand signals and communicate with others. Call out when passing! Rider ahead of you points out a pothole you should do it too for those behind you. Same thing if you're in the back and you call out "car back" that should be repeated forward.

Don't assume everyone's seen or heard it. The info should always be going forward or backwards from you.